Closets and Clothes Hangers » organization ideas

Organize in a Flash

admin — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:31:51 +0000

Most of the time, the reason you need to organize is because you don’t have time to organize! It’s a catch 22, but there are ways to make it go faster and more smoothly. Have you ever decided to organize and only ended up making a huger mess than you had before? It’s pretty common to start going through things and then get stuck in a rut of not knowing quite what to do. Or, you get plenty of ideas about what to do, but they require a big investment in a closet system or other large furniture. We’ve been studying home and closet organization for years and we’ve gotten pretty good at helping people quickly organize with only a few quick steps. Plus, when you do it right, maintaining the organization is easy and continual, so you don’t end up having to start over any time soon.

1) The first step to organizing anything is clearing out the things that you don’t need to waste your time on. Go in with a lot of trash bags or boxes and get ready to give things to charity. Things that you don’t wear because they don’t fit right, they have a stain, or you’re just not into the style anymore can go directly out of the closet or dresser. If you can’t decide very easily, set some limits for yourself. Say, “I can keep twenty shirts.” Pick out the twenty and then the rest goes. If you don’t have time to drop off a donation, most places will pick it up for you if you call.

2) When you get that part out of the way, it’s time to categorize. Make some large, general categories and make sure that everything has a category to go in. Avoid miscellaneous piles that can slowly turn into more clutter. Keeping the categories large will help you to envision how much space you’ll need for each one more easily. Decide which piles can be hung, folded, or stored in a spare closet or on a rolling garment rack outside of the closet.

3) If you want to keep more stuff than actually fits, you may want to consider some space saving clothes hangers. These hangers fit flat together, can be cascaded from each other, and can double or triple the amount of space in your closet. Investing a little in some specialty hangers that organize your ties, belts, scarves and more can help you to clear out space in drawers and cabinets making room for further organization.

About the Author: Charlie Hafter is on the staff of Closet Hanger Factory, a leading online resource for clothes hangers. Get all of the closet and clothes hanger accessories you could need at http://www.closethangerfactory.com, which is recognized worldwide for their excellent quality hangers.

Easy Closet Organization Tips

admin — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:38:43 +0000

The closet can seem like a giant project to tackle, so many people put it off until it really can’t be ignored any longer. There are a few basic rules of closet organization that you can follow. These simple steps make things easier to find, easier to organize and helps you get your closet in order.

First, rearrange your clothing so that your shortest clothes are on one side and your longer items are on the other. This usually frees up some space beneath the shorter clothes. You can add shelves for shoes or drawers underneath the shorter hanging clothes. You can use this space for just about anything.

Next, arrange your clothing in order of color. Make sure that you keep the length of the clothes approximately the same, but group together your shortest black shirts, white shirts, black pants, etc. This will make it easy to find clothes that match when you are getting dressed in the mornings.

Utilize inexpensive items such as over-the-door organizers, hooks and bins. Storage bags that can be flattened with a vacuum are very useful in keeping linens fresh while minimizing the space that they occupy. Store out of season clothes or bulky linens in empty suitcases to maximize overhead space.

Shoes usually end up in a huge pile. Even if you have a shoe organizer, it is hard to keep them all where they go. They fall off, they don’t fit, or you simply have more shoes than shoe space. Use clear boxes for dress shoes. Not only will they be protected from scuffs and damage, but they will be very easy to find. Make a tall stack of clear boxes in the front corner of your closet. You may want to put a dryer sheet in each box to keep shoes smelling fresh. If you plan on storing shoes for quite a while, put them in a plastic bag and store them in the freezer over night. This will kill any odor causing bacteria that may be living in the shoes and ensure that they are ultra-fresh the next time you want to wear them.

If you need additional space for hanging clothes, consider adding another hanging bar. You may have high enough ceilings to have a high bar and a low bar in your closet. Another option is to get an adjustable bar that hangs from your existing bar. You can hang it around your shirts and it gives you another bar just below your shortest items, not all the way across.

Another option for making more hanging space is to buy hangers that can piggy-back on each other. Specialty hangers can hold a lot of pairs of pants, ties, or group together outfits. Some clothes hangers are thin enough to hang clothing closer together, making more room than you might have imagined. Using these simple guidelines, you can make space in your closet and get it set up in an easy-to-maintain order.

What to do with Closet Clutter

admin — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:13:51 +0000

Take a look into your closet. Does the sight of all the clutter make you cringe? You may feel like throwing your hands in the air and giving up. Many people feel like there is simply not enough storage and that their closet will always be the dumping ground for all of their junk. A lack of storage space is a problem, but if you concentrate your efforts on making the space that you have more usable and efficient, you can conquer this mess that is your closet.

First you need to make space for the things that need to be stored in your closet. Of course, the first step would be to get rid of as much stuff as possible and give your closet a little breathing room. By pulling everything out, you will be able to see what you really own and what has been crammed in the back of the closet for who knows how long.

When you get everything out, you may be surprised at what you find. You may find clothes that you bought that you forgot you had. You may find that you have a box of junk that you used to quickly clean up when company was coming over. You will probably find a lot of old shoes and things that you no longer like or have a use for. Just by emptying the closet you will automatically free up some space.

Next, you need to be a little hard on yourself. Tell yourself that you are not allowed to own anything that you can’t find a place for. If you can’t part with something and you can’t make space for it in the closet, then you must start thinking “outside the closet”. An armoire, wardrobe, book case, or dresser may be the answer to storing things in your bedroom that need to get out of the closet.

Making room for what really needs to be in there will take a little bit of imagination, and maybe a little cash. Try having a garage sale or selling some items on an online auction site to get the money that you need to upgrade your closet storage. Shelving is not very expensive. You can go with wire shelving that you can customize to hold your belongings, or you can buy the wood for building a personal closet space that works for you.

When you get your closet all set up, make even more room by using the right clothes hangers. Hangers come in a lot of different sizes and types. You can make your closet more luxurious by using cedar hangers. You can save space by using strong metal hangers. You can double up the use of a hanger by getting ones that are designed to hold multiple items, like pants hangers or cascading hangers. Utilizing the right kind of hanger can help you to make the most of your hanging space, freeing up more areas for shelves, bins and cubbies.